Katie Terry to be honored

Katie Terry, a volunteer in the marketing and public relations department since 1998 at the Delaware County Fair, will be honored as the 2006 Lady Pace honoree. The $20,000-estimated Lady Pace will be raced for the sixth time Sunday afternoon, Sept. 17 , opening day of Delaware’s five afternoons of Grand Circuit racing.

“Katie has been an extraordinary help to us,” said Tom Thomson, president of the Little Brown Jug Society. “She helps our fans who have special needs such as needing rides to the grandstand. She also handles many special requests from horsemen.”

Katie is married to Phil Terry, marketing director for the Little Brown Jug. “Katie is both my right and left arm. She has grown to know everybody and is a tremendous help during Grand Circuit week,” said Phil. “She is our coordinator for the pre-Jug parties on Tuesday and Wednesday nights in the pavilion. I don’t know how she keeps track of everybody.”

Katie says of her volunteer position, “I mostly try and make people happy. I don’t like to say no.”

Katie is a native of Delaware County and a lifelong fan of harness racing. Katie’s father, Harold McNamara, owned Sea-Mac Farm and also raced a stable of horses at the Ohio county fairs. Katie’s great uncle R.K. McNamara built Delaware’s original half-mile race track.

Ohio Wesleyan University, located in Delaware, recently honored Katie for 35 years of service as coordinator of student employment. “My job is to find campus employment for students with work grants.”

Katie was 16 years old when she saw her first Jug, Bret Hanover’s win in 1965. “But my favorite Jug was in 1998, my husband’s first year as marketing director, and (the winner) Shady Character was bred in Delaware County by our neighbor Ron Jackson,” she said.

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